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  <title>Chapter 32</title>
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            <h1 class="title">Chapter 32</h1>
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          <h2 class="subtitle">The Lamia</h2>
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      <p class="first first-in-chapter first-full-width"><span class="first-letter first-letter-d">D</span>o you think I don’t know you’re there, little human, watching and waiting? What curious creature you are. So easy to influence. All it took for me to get inside your head were a few seductive words, a taste of my essence, and a drop of my blood. I’m inside you now, and you won’t be rid of me easily.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Nikhil was stuck with me for thousands of years, after all. He may have found a way to cast me out for good, but I’ve been cast out before. Exiled and left to rot like any mortal. My own race did this to me—those water-bound wretches—along with the dragons. They left me stranded on the riverbank in Egypt like flotsam when I broke their precious rules. The water won’t allow me in again. The nymphaea who were my brothers and sisters have shunned me—forgotten me.</p>
      <p class="subsq">But I promise you, I <i>will</i> recover from this little setback. Soon they will remember who I am, and will come to regret what they’ve done.</p>
      <p class="subsq">My mind is strong, and this human body I wear will last a while yet. My powers grow, and each day I come closer to creating a vessel that will never die. So what if I don’t have Nikhil and his overrated powers to control anymore? I will have far greater powers soon. He thought all along that he was creating a child for himself to love. That all this work I’ve compelled him to do was his idea, and that his entire purpose was to design a creature to redirect that misplaced love he felt for <i>her</i>.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He can keep his <i>love</i>. That creature we’ve been working on is on the verge of existing, but its true purpose is to serve as my new skin. My former brothers will not have sacrificed themselves in vain. Their satyr’s blood will keep the child alive until it’s ready for me. In the meantime, I must prepare.</p>
      <p class="subsq">I have a few things they don’t realize they’re missing. Belah may have reclaimed her blood, but somehow they forgot about the blade that made it flow. How easy it was for me to pop in and retrieve it after they were gone. I helped make the blade, was by her side when she sketched its design, offering my input as her trusted confidante, and it feels good to hold it in my hand again, knowing it will be her destruction—or her brother’s, the white one who was instrumental in my exile.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Don’t think I am some jilted lover, seeking retribution for being scorned. Belah’s brother was just a diversion, but melding with him for that short time allowed me to see how truly powerful I could be within the body of an immortal like him. I will have that power again soon.</p>
      <p class="subsq">I thought I knew where Nikhil kept those two ‘treasures’ of his, but he seems to have taken them away and hidden them someplace new. If I had known what they were … especially <i>who</i> the female was, they both would have been mine. That is no matter. Neither does it matter that Nikhil no longer trusts the blood of hers he kept. When I went to retrieve his secret stash, I found the broken, charred remains of the bottle in the fireplace of his study—he must have suspected it was tainted by me, and he was right. I had to keep feeding him my own blood to stay in command of his mind for so long. All it took to ensnare him was what I used to capture you, dear human observer—a taste of my essence and a drop of my blood and his mind was mine to manipulate from the very start.</p>
      <p class="subsq">There was no sign of her brothers’ blood in that hiding place—Nikhil must have taken it away with him to keep his Elites strong. But without my aid, his Elites will soon rebel, at least the two that he didn’t kill. Poor Marcus only wanted love as well, but got in the way at the end and that last bit of hold I had on Nikhil’s mind was enough to keep the rage alive—at least until the turul bitch started singing.</p>
      <p class="subsq">But at least I know his power will be short-lived. The control he had over the minds of his Elites was partly thanks to me and now that he has lost that, he will soon lose their so-called loyalty as well.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He is weak, and won’t last long if he goes crawling back to her like a beaten dog. They all hate him, but I am no one to them. They will not suspect for some time what awaits, and by the time they grasp their peril, it will be too late.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Because you see, dear human, I will soon have unimaginable power at my fingertips. The power of time, space, and consciousness will be my playthings along with all the elements, and the human mind is an easy thing to control. I have been here since the start and will be here at the end, and there is nothing any of them—or you—can do.</p>
      <p class="subsq">True immortality will be mine.</p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left">Thank you for reading “Dragon Blues”! If you loved it, please visit the retailer and <span class="content-external-link">leave a review</span>!</p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left"><b>But wait, there’s more!</b></p>
        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left">The Immortal Dragons’ quests for mates is just beginning. Read about Belah’s brother Ked’s search by grabbing <a class="content-external-link" href="http://opheliabell.com/books/id02/">“Dragon Void”</a> today, or keep reading for a preview.</p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left">And don’t forget, subscribing to the <a class="content-external-link" href="http://opheliabell.com/ebook-subscribe/">Dragon Beasties</a> mailing list gets you <b>two free sexy dragon shifter stories</b> not available for sale anywhere.</p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-center"><b>DRAGON VOID</b></p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left"><i>A woman born on the wind...</i></p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left">A Turul princess, Evie North has waited long enough for her “one true love” — a man she’s stopped believing truly exists. She throws caution—literally—to the wind and decides to take matters into her own hands. She chooses a handsome stranger from a crowd and falls into bed with him, hoping love might find her in his arms. </p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left"><i>A human man drawn to powers beyond his comprehension...</i></p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left">The only thing Marcus Calais knows is that he’s likely to die in a pointless war but also honor-bound to run into battle. At least until he meets an angel named Evie in Central Park who incites stronger desires than he’s ever had and whose songs drive him to levels of passion he never imagined. After just one night with the lovely, waifish beauty, he discovers he has so much more to live for. Will he sacrifice his principles to stay alive for her?</p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left"><i>The immortal dragon who owns both their souls...</i></p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left">“Ked” is what his five siblings call him, but others simply refer to the huge black dragon as The Void. He is darkness personified, but nothing is darker than the enemy he is up against. It will take true darkness to fight the evil permeating his world, and to save the female Fate intended for him. But Fate has a funny way of switching things up when he least expects. What will he find when he ventures forth into the enemy’s lair in search of love?</p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left">What other surprises does Fate have in store?</p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left"><i>Read on for an excerpt, or </i><a class="content-external-link" href="http://opheliabell.com/books/id02/">buy now</a><i>.</i></p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-center"><b>Chapter One</b></p>
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        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left"><i>Ultiori Headquarters, Canadian Rockies</i></p>
        <p class="alignment-block-content alignment-block-content-left"><i>Present Day</i></p>
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      <p class="first first-in-section first-full-width"><span class="first-phrase">When the devil’s</span> on your tail, the instinct is to run. Marcus wanted to run—time was not on his side and hadn’t been for decades—but Elites like him had to set an example for the other Ultiori hunters in the compound.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He desperately needed to be with Evie <i>now</i>—before the man Fate had chosen as her mate came to claim her. And before the man Fate had chosen to be his torturer came to kill Marcus.</p>
      <p class="subsq">There was no way his master wouldn’t bleed him dry the second he discovered Marcus had betrayed him. Marcus would happily accept his fate by the time Nikhil realized he’d been instrumental in Evie’s rescue. He only had a few hours, at best, to see Evie before his world ended. To tell her one last time that he loved her. And to ask her forgiveness for bringing her to this place.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Nikhil was distracted for the first time since Marcus had served as one of the Ultiori leader’s primary soldiers and enforcers. For the first time in five decades, the ancient man’s dark mental presence wasn’t lurking around in Marcus’s head.</p>
      <p class="subsq">His master would come for him. And if the events of the last few hours were any indication of true hope, Evie’s <i>true</i> mate would come for her.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He exited the elevator the very second the doors opened on the sub-level floor of the Alexandria Institute’s Canadian headquarters. Only he, his master, and his fellow Elites had access to this floor, where the most valuable captives were held. But there was one cell Marcus lacked the clearance to open and he hoped he’d find one of the two people who could open that cell. Naaz and Sterlyn were the only ones who could give him access to see Evie.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Before he rounded the corner of the wide hallway, Naaz’s deep voice reverberated faintly from the distance, then paused. In his mind, Marcus sensed his fellow Elite’s unarticulated question to him. He sped up, heart racing with anticipation and hope that Naaz would be willing to do this one final favor for him.</p>
      <p class="subsq">A sudden, loud crash made him turn his head. One of the two thick polycarbonate cell doors on this corridor vibrated with the violent impact of the huge body on the other side of it. Marcus paused long enough to stare at the big, muscular ursa male who raged beyond the transparent portal of glass.</p>
      <p class="subsq">On the other side of the corridor, another figure moved into view beyond a similar thick door. He didn’t have time for this.</p>
      <p class="subsq">The satyr on the other side gestured at Marcus and pointed toward the intercom on the side of the door.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus scowled at the prisoner, prepared to ignore both interruptions, when Naaz pushed in front of him and tapped the button to activate the speaker.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“What is it, Calder? We don’t have time for your apocalyptic bullshit today, or for Nicholas trying to tear down the goddamn mountain.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Naaz gave Marcus the weary look of a man who’s been relegated to holding down the fort. For the last week, only Marcus and his fellow Elite Sterlyn had been out, carrying out their master’s wishes.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“This is the last time I’ll ask,” Calder said, his deep, serene voice sending a trickle of ice down Marcus’s spine. “Today was the day the currents shifted. The dark waters have been disturbed, enough for the river to split. You need to let me into Nicholas’s cell one last time so he doesn’t drown in the deluge when Fate’s flood reaches us.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Naaz, leave him. I need you to do me a favor quickly,” Marcus said, unwilling to entertain the crazy satyr’s cryptic rambling.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I’ve got you, brother,” Naaz said. “Just need your help to handle this crazy fucker first.” He glanced over his shoulder at the opposite cell where the white-haired ursa male still pounded at the door, a little less destructively, but no less emphatic. “Not sure which of the pair are crazier, but at least we’ll have some peace when we put them together.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Naaz quickly keyed in a code on the pad by Calder’s door, then pressed his thumb to the small biometric scanner above it. As the door slid open, Marcus cursed softly and raised his hands, exerting his will to push the magic that had flowed through his veins for the last fifty years out through the centers of his palms. Naaz did the same, the magic coming from his hands manifesting as a red swirl of smoke that their prisoner inhaled along with the dark shadow of Marcus’s magic.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Calder’s pupils expanded until the deep blue of his irises were completely black, and his face went utterly blank, his knees buckling as the combination of Marcus and Naaz’s powers neutralized him. Marcus knew what Naaz’s power felt like mixed with his own—a combination of paralysis and overwhelming arousal, which was evidenced by the tent in Calder’s loose-fitting drawstring pants as he sagged to the floor. His cock was the only stiff thing about him when Naaz and Marcus stepped in and hooked the satyr beneath the armpits. They hauled him bodily across the hallway to the door of the now more subdued ursa’s cell.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Nicholas stood back and obligingly sank to his knees, indicating he had no intention of giving them trouble now that he saw his needs would be met.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“What do you think he meant about the currents?” Marcus asked, keying in the code to unlock Nick’s door, followed by the final biometric scan.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Something big’s about to happen. He’s only ever ranted like this when there were about to be major changes. He did it fifty years ago before you showed up, and two hundred years before that, just before the whole fiasco with Nick and his mother.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus had only heard brief tales of the Ultiori’s experiences after capturing the queen of the matriarchal race of bear shifters. The female had been the first ever to become pregnant in captivity after undergoing several of the Ultiori’s experiments. The experience proved to the Ultiori how dangerously volatile a mother ursa could be when she escaped shortly after giving birth. It had taken two elites, Nikhil himself, and an army of Ultiori hunters to subdue the ursa queen long enough to retrieve the child. They had to give up on taking the mother back into custody after she’d killed half their soldiers, but they’d managed to keep the cub.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus had witnessed the ursa male’s periodic rages and the resulting damage that had prompted reinforcing all the walls of his cell, including installation of doors that were impervious to his strength. He never wanted to come face-to-face with a female ursa if his fellow Elite’s stories were true and she had managed to be too powerful for them to recapture.</p>
      <p class="subsq">When the door slid open, he helped drag Calder into the room. Nicholas held out arms the size of tree trunks and immediately scooped up the unconscious man, cradling him against his large chest as if he were a doll, in spite of Calder being nearly as tall. The satyr had a lithe, swimmer’s physique, so was dwarfed in the ursa’s huge arms.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Nicholas glowered at the pair of them as they retreated, not even voicing any words of thanks. When the door was securely locked again, Marcus and Naaz watched the large ursa carry his friend to his bed where he tenderly laid him down and curled up next to him with his head on his chest.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus shook his head. “I’ve never really understood those two. I get the whole ursa fertility cycle and how the males pair up, but that he can substitute another race entirely makes no sense.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“It’s like any surrogate, really,” Naaz said, crossing his arms and regarding the pair inside the cell. After a moment the scene became more intimate as Calder regained consciousness and Naaz swiped his hand across the control pad to obscure their view. The glass clouded until it was entirely opaque white. “Tiger cubs raised with golden retrievers don’t really care they’re not the same species. Nicholas wouldn’t have survived adolescence if Calder hadn’t known what he needed.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus’s chest tightened at the reminder. What Evie needed wasn’t Marcus. Somewhere out there a certain immortal black dragon was on his way and would soon arrive to claim her and take her away for good. Marcus set his mouth in a grim line. Fate didn’t seem to care about mixing two different races, either. She certainly hadn’t cared about the creation of abominations such as Marcus and the other Ultiori Elites.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“You want to see her now, I take it,” Naaz said, already turning to head in the direction of the last turn in the corridor, at the end of which were three more cells that housed the  most valuable prisoners—the three females that kept Marcus and the other Elites from mutiny.</p>
      <p class="subsq">When they rounded the corner, Marcus saw a blond man at the end of the hall, sitting cross-legged outside the last cell. The cell door was clear and back-lit from within. Inside, lounging against the other side of the door, was a striking auburn-haired woman with eyes the color of rubies. Both turned to look at him and stood with smiles on their faces.</p>
      <p class="subsq">His other fellow Elite, Sterlyn, came toward him with a hand extended. They grasped wrists and hugged briefly.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Come to take advantage of the respite and see your girl?” Sterlyn said.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I don’t just want to see her today. I need you to open the door.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Naaz stopped short and stared at him for a beat, then nodded. “Right. And I suppose you expect Sterlyn and me to scrape your carcass off her floor when Sayid finds out?”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“He’s busy, if you haven’t noticed,” Marcus said, tapping at his temple. “He’s been out of my head for the last two hours. I figure as long as he’s with the love of his life, we have a reprieve from him filtering through our minds. I plan to take advantage of that.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“You know you can’t take her out of here. Her shackles won’t let her teleport, and if she leaves this floor the entire facility will be on instant lockdown.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I don’t plan on taking her out. I’m going in. Brother, she belongs to one of them… the Dragon Council … the fucking <i>Void</i> claims she’s his mate and is on a warpath to find her. If anyone can get her out of this godforsaken place, he can. I just want one last night with her.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Behind Sterlyn, the red-haired female inside the cell said, “If what you say is true, you had best hurry. The Void is not a dragon to trifle with, but I believe you know that, don’t you Marcus? It’s his blood that powers you, is it not?”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Zamirah, you are as perceptive as you are beautiful. That’s how I know he’s the one for Evie. I don’t believe she’d still love me now if not for his blood running through my veins.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">The red-haired woman shrugged. “Even if Sterlyn hadn’t told me, I can see the dark magic in your eyes as clearly as I can see the white magic inside my love’s.” She gave Sterlyn an adoring look. “But any dragon would know not to test the Void, or any other member of the Dragon Council. I know I may lack company in this opinion, but I prefer the punishment of my incarceration here over any punishment they would mete out on my kind for misbehaving.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I’m sure Sterlyn wouldn’t hesitate to let you go if he could ensure your freedom, despite what our master might do to him after the fact. I want Evie to be free, and if that means I stay behind to appease Sayid with my blood or my loyalty, so be it. As long as she is free.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">He turned to look at Evie’s door, still opaque for privacy. The feature could be overridden from the panel in the hallway if needed, but until one of his fellow Elites agreed to open it, he didn’t want to disturb her sleep. The door opposite hers was clear, however, and a gorgeous, mocha-skinned woman with shining curls smiled at him from the other side.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Hey, hot stuff,” Naaz’s twin sister said, her smoky voice sounding tinny through the intercom.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Neela, looking delicious as always,” Marcus said, his suggestive greeting earning him an air kiss that he fake-caught and tucked in his pocket.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“You’re not here for me or Zamirah today, are you,” Neela said, the immortal dragon blood that infused her allowing more than a casual glimpse into his thoughts. He didn’t try to hide from her, though. Naaz’s sister was the only Elite who didn’t get to leave the compound—she was far too valuable as collateral to keep her brother loyal to their brutal master. She was also one of the five people in the world he’d be willing to die for, if it came to that—all the others were on the same floor with him now.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus shook his head and gave Neela a sad smile. “Sorry, sweetheart. My heart belongs to another. And I know yours does, too.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“It’s nothing, honey. I was just telling my brother it felt like time for someone to stir the pot. Nikhil being out of our heads is the perfect time for it. Just don’t get yourself killed, okay?” When Marcus remained silent, Neela cursed. “You fucking lovesick idiot,” she said, pressing her palm to the door. “She had better be worth it.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“He doesn’t have to find out,” Naaz said. “I’m not going to tell Nikhil what Marcus is doing, and neither will the rest of you.” He gave the others a stern glare that would have been utterly menacing to an outsider. Marcus knew his fellow Elite far too well to be alarmed by his expression.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll find out when he discovers she’s gone. I’m prepared to take whatever he dishes out when that happens. All that matters is that she’s out of here.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Fuck me,” Neela said, in awe. “You found a way to get her out? For real?”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I’m not going to be the one to do it. But if anyone can override the power of the shackles, the Void can.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“The Void…” She trailed off and shivered while unconsciously rubbing at the dark designs inked around her wrists, the magical shackles that prevented her and every other captive from escape in case their cells failed to hold them. “He’s the only creature who ever came close to killing Nikhil. Naaz and I were barely old enough to remember the aftermath of that. I’d rather have him on my good side. Do you think he’d know you carried his blood if he saw you?”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus met Neela’s gaze and nodded. Swallowing the jagged lump in his throat, he said, “I only have a fraction of the power he has, thanks to that magic. I’d have gotten her out long ago if I could, but the best I can do is obscure her tattoos for moments. Not long enough for a full escape.” He frowned, a thought occurring to him as he glanced around at the others. “I could find out if he’d help you…”</p>
      <p class="subsq">All four of his friends cut him off with objections.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“No,” Naaz said. “If you want us to run interference at all, we need to be here. We can’t expect Evie’s mate to save everyone. If she really is his, he might not want to, anyway. We just can’t…”</p>
      <p class="subsq">His and Neela’s protests were a little too emphatic and Marcus and Sterlyn both raised both eyebrows, glancing between the pair. Marcus didn’t need to ask to be able to sense their desperation.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“You won’t leave because of them.” The pair seemed to have an unhealthy attachment to two hibernating dragons Nikhil had found ages ago. All Marcus knew was that the so-called treasures were yet another reason the twins had stayed with Nikhil for so long, in spite of the fact that their master kept the two stone effigies securely locked away and never let Naaz and Neela close.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“We would give our lives to get them away from him, if we could,” Naaz said. “But you are right, we won’t leave as long as he has our mates.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus was debating whether to tell him the details he’d learned over the past day about the true identities of his friends’ mates, when light hit the side of his face from the other side of the hallway and he heard a light tapping sound at the glass of the third cell door.</p>
      <p class="subsq">His heart pounding, he turned to see Evie standing backlit by the lights in her cell, the glass of her door clear enough for him to see the petite woman smiling at him. She gave him a small wave and tilted her head, one eyebrow raised as if to ask whether he was there for her.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Naaz…” Marcus began, too breathless at the sight of her to get more words out.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I got it, brother,” Naaz said, quickly stepping across the hall and keying in the code to unlock the door before pressing his thumb to the pad.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus’s heart raced as the door slid open. He’d seen her only infrequently over the past five decades, and only through the glass barrier that blocked the opening of her cell.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Today he could touch her… hold her… and if that look she had meant what he hoped—make love to her.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Unwilling to consider the silent reminders of why she might look at him that way, Marcus stepped into the cell and swept her up in his arms. His mouth found hers and their kiss heated his entire body, his blood surging in his veins like she’d set him on fire. He was only peripherally aware of the cell door sliding shut behind him and the light dimming as it went from clear to opaque again.</p>
      <p class="subsq">God bless Naaz for understanding.</p>
      <p class="subsq">In his arms, Evie moaned and clawed at the buttons of his shirt. Marcus wasn’t ready for that yet. He knew he only had a few hours, at most, to be with her, but he wanted to savor every second, commit it all to memory. Because if there was an afterlife, he would take the memory with him as his surest way to Heaven.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He grabbed her hands and put them around his neck while he lifted her up, burying his face in her neck and inhaling the scent of her. She still smelled like that spring day when they’d met in Central Park, of fresh azaleas carried on a crisp March breeze. He moved the few quick strides it took to reach her cot, and set her down, cupping her face in his hands and slowly savoring the taste of her mouth while she let out urgent little whimpers.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Marcus, I need you,” she whispered when he drifted his lips over her jaw and proceeded down the side of her neck. Sweet Jesus how he needed her. His cock had never been so hard, but he warded off her hands again.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Just let me have this first,” he murmured. “Let me experience you without distractions.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">She let out a frustrated laugh when he pushed his hand beneath her knit tank top and teased the underside of her breast.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I don’t know if I can keep from reacting. I need an outlet, too. It’s been so long … do you have any idea how long?”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Fifty years, six months, nineteen days, ten hours…” He hazarded a glance at her and smiled at the surprise there. “Fine, sing if you need an outlet, but let me focus on loving you one last time.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Evie stiffened under his touch, her wide eyes flashing with fear for the briefest second before understanding made her relax again. The acceptance was accompanied by a look of sadness that made him pause, and he realized what he’d said.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I found him…” he began, but she surged at him, her lips slamming against his in a desperate kiss that took his breath away.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I don’t want to know… not yet,” she said when she pulled away.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus nodded. Words would only be a waste of time between them now, so he chose actions instead. He pushed insistently at her top, and Evie raised her arms allowing him to strip it off her. He pushed her down onto her cot and she raised her hips so he could strip her of her drawstring pants.</p>
      <p class="subsq"><i>Slow down,</i> he told himself, overeager to delve into the fragrant, juicy core of her but needing to make sure he let every moment of this experience sink in. Then she started singing, the bittersweet tune setting the exact tempo he needed.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He rested back on his heels between her ankles, gazing down at her creamy skin. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, her emotions making the song rougher as the lyrics flowed from her lips. He didn’t understand the words, but had the feeling he knew exactly what the song meant, and it was perfect for the moment.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Evie cupped her breasts and spread her thighs, opening herself for him. Marcus bent and slid one hand beneath her knee, down the back of her thigh and up her hip until his elbow rested on the bed. He kissed the inside of her other knee, brushing his lips along her inner thigh, breathing her in as he went as though her scent sustained him.</p>
      <p class="subsq">He paused with his lips close enough to her core to feel the tickle of feather-soft fringe that covered her folds. The scent of March blooms was ever prevalent, and even more earthy here, and brought back the early memory of his wish to fill her with his child, to marry her and keep her close forever.</p>
      <p class="subsq">She’d told him the child couldn’t happen, and she’d been right, but every time he thought of her he still had the same wish. He’d been ready to propose the day they came to this place fifty years ago. He still carried the engagement ring with him wherever he went even now, despite knowing a marriage to her was out of the question.</p>
      <p class="subsq">With a groan to dispel the foolish fantasy, he pressed his mouth to her and kissed, using his lips to part her flesh while his tongue dipped between. He tasted her in one long, slow sweep, from the bottom of her opening all the way to the stiff, throbbing nub of her clit. He pressed the tip of his tongue there and teased, flicking gently up and down until her hips rose up with urgency.</p>
      <p class="subsq">His mouth watered at the tangy flavor of her and he drank her in, plunging his tongue deep into her channel to taste as much as he could before sweeping upward again and sucking that delicious bundle between his lips again.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Evie’s song continued, the shifting tempo enough to signal her state and urge him on. He devoured her over and over, hearing the need from her voice as much as sensing it from her body. When her pitch changed and her body tensed, he was right there with her, ready to carry her over and eagerly lapping up every drop of her essence when she collapsed to the bed.</p>
      <p class="subsq">She only paused for a breath before she was on him, pushing him back in a daze and ripping at his shirt and belt.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“My turn,” she growled and Marcus was too buzzed from the power of her orgasm to object. All he could do was kick off his boots in time for her to push his cargo pants to his ankles, the gear attached to his belt clattering onto the floor in a heap. Then she was on him, her lips tangled with his as she straddled him, wasting no time before sinking down on his stiff, throbbing shaft.</p>
      <p class="subsq">They let out simultaneous gasps of pleasure at the tight friction and he reveled in her control, letting her ride him for a moment before forcing her to slow down. He dug his fingers into her hips and held her against him, breathing deeply to try to fend off the release that rapidly threatened to overtake him. He planned to come as many times as possible while he was with her, but wanted to make sure the first time didn’t catch him off guard.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Baby, please. Slow down. Let me have this.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Evie pushed her fingers through his hair and bent to kiss him again, more slowly and tenderly this time.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“All right, but you’d better tell me this big secret of yours while we’re doing it. I heard a hint of a time limit in your voice. How much time do we have and what’s going to happen at the end of it? You can’t lie to me and you know it.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">He slid his hands up her narrow waist to tease his thumbs over the tips of her breasts. She took advantage of the freedom and rose up his length, hovering with her folds just encompassing the aching tip of his cock.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Her stormy eyes flickered with sparks of lightning, expectant and clearly willing to torture him if he failed to deliver.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Hours maybe,” he said, relenting. “Sayid is usually inside my head so I couldn’t get away with seeing you like this before.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“But he’s not now? Where is he?”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Distracted… probably just the way we are right now. But he’ll be back and when he comes, he won’t be happy with me.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“So, you don’t let him find out.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“My love, I am pretty sure your absence will not go unnoticed. And I fully expect he’ll take out his anger on me.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">She sank down onto his cock suddenly, the sharp, exquisite sensation making his vision blur and his breath leave his lungs in a rush.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“How…?” she asked, not moving again, though the heat of her sank into him in a way that made him regret the distracting conversation.</p>
      <p class="subsq">But he had to tell her the truth.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Baby, I know why you look at me the way you do. You didn’t love me like this when we met, and I remember distinctly the day when that changed. I hated that it didn’t happen until there was a goddamn cell door between us, but when I understood why, I admit I was a little grateful for it.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">The tears were back in her eyes, and he hated himself for causing them to return. “Why…” she began shakily. “Why do you think it changed?”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“I didn’t put it all together until last night. All I knew was that angels like you don’t just fall in love. There was someone out there for you already, and it wasn’t me. Calder… the satyr down the hall… a while back he told me how your kind works. How seeing your one true love is all it takes to know they’re the one. And that something wasn’t right if you didn’t look at me that way from the start. It didn’t happen until after we came here—after that bastard fucked with my blood, filled me with an infusion of some other creature’s blood—that was when it changed.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Evie began shaking her head, her tears flowing freely now. “You <i>are</i> mine, Marcus. I don’t care if you weren’t to start with. I wanted you to be. I wished for it every day we were together for the first year after we met. Because if you were, then that meant I <i>could choose</i> who I loved. I don’t give a fuck how you wound up with his blood inside you. We belong together.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">She clung to him, wrapped her arms around his neck. Her elbows dug into his shoulders as she kissed him with wet, tear-coated lips, and began moving her hips again in earnest.</p>
      <p class="subsq">Marcus groaned, his own hips rising to meet her, thrusting deep as she came down on him. His head spun from the emotional weight of it on top of the long needed physical connection with her. He gripped her arms and pulled her away, made her sit back and look at him.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“Evie, you don’t understand. I’ve loved you since the second I laid eyes on you, but you were never mine. Last night I understood for the first time why. I saw the Void—the dragon whose blood is the root of my power…”</p>
      <p class="subsq">Evie began shaking her head, chanting, “no, no, no” under her breath as though she didn’t want to hear what he was saying—couldn’t bear to know the truth.</p>
      <p class="subsq">“He is the one, Evie. Your <i>one</i>. He knows you are his.” Marcus closed his eyes, swallowing his own grief to get the rest of the words out. “He knows, and he is coming for you. And as God is my witness, I want him to have you because I never deserved you.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">“You always did,” she said, holding his face in her hands. “I don’t want to leave you, Marcus. Don’t you get it? You may not have belonged to me when we met, but you do now, and that’s all that matters. If he comes and takes me away, I’ll lose you. Nikhil will kill you for letting me go and I’ll lose you.”</p>
      <p class="subsq">The emotion he’d struggled to keep at bay broke through. Marcus let out an anguished groan and wrapped her in his arms. He hated that this would be the last time for them, but he needed her like he’d never needed anything in his life. Evie seemed to sense that the conversation was over at least, and they continued making love until Marcus lost himself in her heat, her scent, and the beautiful sound of her voice as she sang him to completion.</p>
      <p class="subsq"><i>Want to read the rest? </i><a class="content-external-link" href="http://opheliabell.com/books/id02/">Buy now.</a></p>
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